The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 312 which was held on March 19, 2015:
1) Greek dossier from May 2010 referred a brother and sister aged 5 years and 7 months & 4 years and 5 months
2) German dossier from September 2011 referred a female child aged 2 with features in health status
3) Italian dossier from September 2012 referred a brother and sister aged 5 years and 9 months & 7 years and 5 months with features in health status
4) Italian dossier from April 2013 referred a female child aged 8 years and 2 months with features in health status
5) Italian dossier from December 2014 referred three waiting children (#2826 &2827 # & #2828) with profiles on the MOJ site
6) US dossier from March 2015 referred two waiting children (#2553 & #2554) with profiles on the MOJ site
7) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2452) with a profile on the MOJ site
8) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2629) with a profile on the MOJ site
9) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2709) with a profile on the MOJ site
10) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2837) with a profile on the MOJ site
11) US dossier from March 2015 referred three waiting children (#2677 & #2680 & #2681) with profiles on the MOJ site
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The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 313 which was held on March 26, 2015:
1) Canadian dossier from November 2010 referred a male child aged 1 year and 4 months
2) Spanish dossier from November 2010 referred two brothers aged 4 years and 8 months & 3 years and 1 month
3) US dossier from September 2013 referred a male child 1 year and 4 months with features in health status
4) US dossier from December 2014 referred a waiting child (#2876) with a profile on the MOJ site
5) Italian dossier from December 2014 referred a male child aged 9 years and 10 months
6) Italian dossier from January 2015 referred two sisters aged 10 years and 1 month & 8 years and 6 months
7) US dossier from February 2015 referred a male child aged 7 years and 5 months with features in health status
8) Italian dossier from February 2015 referred a brother sand sister aged 9 years and 8 months & 8 years and 5 months with features in health status
9) US dossier from March 2015 referred two waiting children (#2157 & #2158) with profiles on the MOJ site
10) US dossier from March 2015 referred a female child aged 12 years and 7 months
11) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2332) with a profile on the MOJ site
12) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2687) with a profile on the MOJ site
13) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2595) with a profile on the MOJ site
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Trauma
I have been thinking a lot about trauma lately, specifically in terms of what my children likely experienced in their earliest years. Of my children, Emilia was most affected in this area and even after more than three years home, the aftermath of trauma in her life is still just under the surface on many days. Implicit traumatic memories can be triggered at any moment and sometimes we know what bubbles them over (a single harsh word spoken in the wrong second can make tears well up in her eyes), but often we do not. We simply see the tell-tale signs in our Emilia: sucking her thumb, covering her eyes and/or ears, screaming, being nearly inconsolably sad and weepy, clinging to us, withdrawing and shutting down, etc.
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| Emilia at the orphanage in Dobrich in April 2011 covering her ears during one of our visits |
I went back to these two articles to refresh my understanding of trauma and reading them this time around, I realized that Emilia's language delay due to apraxia is an obstacle to her processing her implicit memories and linking them with an explicit narrative that helps her make sense of what happened to her in the past and puts it into proper perspective. At this time, Emilia cannot tell us what triggers her memories nor can she express what she remembers or thinks she does. Consequently, we are limited in our ability to discuss it with her and provide her with her own history, good and bad, as we factually know it. It hit me really hard when I realized how much Emilia's struggle with communication impacts every area of her life and growth, including understanding and sorting out her own story.
As her mom, I have to do more now to help her in this particular area. I need to create a very visual lifebook for her as soon as possible. It probably won't be more than a series of photos and images trying to capture her first five years in broad strokes. We can look at them together and I can talk about what I know and infer about her history. I hope that this will help begin a meaningful exchange, whatever form it may take right now, between Emilia, Craig and me regarding her early traumatic experiences.
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| Emilia in March 2015 covering her ears with oven mitts during a situation stressful for her |
Monday, April 20, 2015
IAC 311 Results
The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 311 which was held on March 12, 2015:
1) German dossier from December 2010 referred a female child aged 3 years and 3 months with features in health status
2) Dutch dossier from February 2011 referred a male child aged 2 years and 5 months with features in health status
3) Canadian dossier from August 2011 referred a female child aged 7 years and 9 months with features in health status
4) Italian dossier from February 2012 referred a male child aged 7 years and 8 months with features in health status
5) Canadian dossier from March 2012 referred a female child aged 5 years and 2 months with features in health status
6) US dossier from November 2012 referred a female child aged 3 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history
7) Italian dossier from October 2013 referred biological sisters aged 6 years & 8 years and 5 months
8) US dossier from January 2015 referred twins, male and female, aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status
9) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2690) with a profile on the MOJ site
10) US dossier from March 2015 referred three waiting children (#2694 & #2695 & #2696) with profiles on the MOJ site
1) German dossier from December 2010 referred a female child aged 3 years and 3 months with features in health status
2) Dutch dossier from February 2011 referred a male child aged 2 years and 5 months with features in health status
3) Canadian dossier from August 2011 referred a female child aged 7 years and 9 months with features in health status
4) Italian dossier from February 2012 referred a male child aged 7 years and 8 months with features in health status
5) Canadian dossier from March 2012 referred a female child aged 5 years and 2 months with features in health status
6) US dossier from November 2012 referred a female child aged 3 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history
7) Italian dossier from October 2013 referred biological sisters aged 6 years & 8 years and 5 months
8) US dossier from January 2015 referred twins, male and female, aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status
9) US dossier from March 2015 referred a waiting child (#2690) with a profile on the MOJ site
10) US dossier from March 2015 referred three waiting children (#2694 & #2695 & #2696) with profiles on the MOJ site
What's New With Emilia
It's been a while since I updated you on the littlest Martini, so here's what's been happening.
Emilia is our most tender child, emotionally and physically, and she does not like change. Therefore, we knew that she would struggle mightily with the series of events unfolding over the last seven months (three weeks in Armenia, adoption of a new sister, holidays, move to new home, start at a new preschool). As expected, we did see some behavioral regressions and knew that beyond reassurances and extra cuddles, it would simply take time for Emilia to adjust. We think she is almost back to her normal self now and it actually feels like she might be at the brink of a new developmental phase.
Unfortunately, Emilia's preschool experience here in the new district initially did not live up to our expectations. She used to get excited to see the school bus come down the road, but when she started in this district, she wasn't. She would come home from school on Mondays and Tuesdays clingy and weepy. It sometimes took more than an hour of holding her to bring her out of this mood. I think a huge reason for this issue had to do with Emilia's teacher who was very strict and the classroom environment super structured not leaving options, for example, for a child like Emilia who cannot yet sit crisscross applesauce for a 20 to 30 minute morning meeting. I observed Emilia in the classroom twice and the teacher treated the kids, many with special needs, like little adults and expected them to behave accordingly. Fortunately, this teacher recently gave birth and we have already seen an improvement with Emilia's long-term sub. We are also thrilled that, if all goes according to plan, Emilia will be in half-day kindergarten next school year with Ella's current awesome teacher. She may even have one of Rex's current classmates in the kindergarten class with her which would also be wonderful as we are friends with his family.
Emilia's IEP is up for renewal toward the end of the school year and, because of the problems we see in the preschool setting, we decided to take advantage of the neuro-developmental specialists that work at the heart clinic where Emilia is a patient. They gave us a good assessment of Emilia's current strengths and weaknesses and will assist in writing the IEP for next year. Craig and I feel like we could really use some support in getting the district's educators to acknowledge not only Emilia's traumatic past, but also her sensory needs which are still a major factor and collaborate with us in using them to Emilia's academic advantage, rather than fighting them to the point of taking away not only her joy of learning, but also her ability to progress and succeed in the classroom.
Speaking of the heart clinic, Emilia had a check-up with cardiology recently and everything looks perfect. She was still scared, but did the best ever since the surgery during the appointment. We don't need to come back for an entire year and if things are still going great then, we will move to an every other year schedule. Hurray for Emilia and her healthy heart! Oh and her doctor called her "an intelligent and engaging child" after having a little talk with her. That's music to our ears.
Emilia appears to be taking a break from acquiring new pre-academic knowledge at the moment, but we have seen beautiful gains in her gross motor and language skills. The OT that has been working with her since the fall is wonderful and has made a tremendous difference in Emilia's sensory development. Her sensory needs are simultaneously an asset and an obstacle to her learning and daily life. The new OT is helping us tip the scale more toward the asset end of things. Emilia is practicing ways to calm herself and gaining a broader awareness of her entire body. We see such a difference in the way she moves and relates to the space around her. She's even able now to show me on her baby dolls various activities, such as walking, sitting, crawling, climbing. It just illustrates how she has been internalizing everything she is working on this area.
Emilia's language skills continue to grow. She is nowhere near speaking like her five-year old peers, but she is communicating successfully and clearly all the time. The sentences she uses are getting longer ("No bus, I sit car" or "May I have drink?" or "Rain, rain go away, rainy all day") and she is applying colloquial language such as "Bless you," and "Calm down." She is letting us know when she thinks something is loud, cute, pretty, funny, and so on. Her expressive vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. She basically only needs us to tell her a new word once and she retains and uses it appropriately. The problem continues to be stringing syllables together into sentences. Emilia likes to sing and is increasingly able to put the words with the melodies.
In preparation for the IEP meeting, we asked Emilia's Prompt therapist to do some testing for language. She found that when adjusted for her developmental age of 3.5 years old, Emilia's receptive language is completely normal and her expressive language is less than two standard deviations off the mean which we think is still pretty good, given the severity of her apraxia.
At this time, Emilia likes rap and hip hop music, surprise egg videos on youtube, dancing, swinging, and playing with her big sister.
Overall, this little treasure has been our squeakiest wheel here lately, but the joy and love she brings to our family outweigh any challenges that we are facing together.
Emilia is our most tender child, emotionally and physically, and she does not like change. Therefore, we knew that she would struggle mightily with the series of events unfolding over the last seven months (three weeks in Armenia, adoption of a new sister, holidays, move to new home, start at a new preschool). As expected, we did see some behavioral regressions and knew that beyond reassurances and extra cuddles, it would simply take time for Emilia to adjust. We think she is almost back to her normal self now and it actually feels like she might be at the brink of a new developmental phase.
Unfortunately, Emilia's preschool experience here in the new district initially did not live up to our expectations. She used to get excited to see the school bus come down the road, but when she started in this district, she wasn't. She would come home from school on Mondays and Tuesdays clingy and weepy. It sometimes took more than an hour of holding her to bring her out of this mood. I think a huge reason for this issue had to do with Emilia's teacher who was very strict and the classroom environment super structured not leaving options, for example, for a child like Emilia who cannot yet sit crisscross applesauce for a 20 to 30 minute morning meeting. I observed Emilia in the classroom twice and the teacher treated the kids, many with special needs, like little adults and expected them to behave accordingly. Fortunately, this teacher recently gave birth and we have already seen an improvement with Emilia's long-term sub. We are also thrilled that, if all goes according to plan, Emilia will be in half-day kindergarten next school year with Ella's current awesome teacher. She may even have one of Rex's current classmates in the kindergarten class with her which would also be wonderful as we are friends with his family.
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| Passed out after fighting against a nap |
Emilia's IEP is up for renewal toward the end of the school year and, because of the problems we see in the preschool setting, we decided to take advantage of the neuro-developmental specialists that work at the heart clinic where Emilia is a patient. They gave us a good assessment of Emilia's current strengths and weaknesses and will assist in writing the IEP for next year. Craig and I feel like we could really use some support in getting the district's educators to acknowledge not only Emilia's traumatic past, but also her sensory needs which are still a major factor and collaborate with us in using them to Emilia's academic advantage, rather than fighting them to the point of taking away not only her joy of learning, but also her ability to progress and succeed in the classroom.
Speaking of the heart clinic, Emilia had a check-up with cardiology recently and everything looks perfect. She was still scared, but did the best ever since the surgery during the appointment. We don't need to come back for an entire year and if things are still going great then, we will move to an every other year schedule. Hurray for Emilia and her healthy heart! Oh and her doctor called her "an intelligent and engaging child" after having a little talk with her. That's music to our ears.
 |
| Snuggles with Grandpa |
Emilia appears to be taking a break from acquiring new pre-academic knowledge at the moment, but we have seen beautiful gains in her gross motor and language skills. The OT that has been working with her since the fall is wonderful and has made a tremendous difference in Emilia's sensory development. Her sensory needs are simultaneously an asset and an obstacle to her learning and daily life. The new OT is helping us tip the scale more toward the asset end of things. Emilia is practicing ways to calm herself and gaining a broader awareness of her entire body. We see such a difference in the way she moves and relates to the space around her. She's even able now to show me on her baby dolls various activities, such as walking, sitting, crawling, climbing. It just illustrates how she has been internalizing everything she is working on this area.
 |
| She was fascinated by Easter eggs this year. |
Emilia's language skills continue to grow. She is nowhere near speaking like her five-year old peers, but she is communicating successfully and clearly all the time. The sentences she uses are getting longer ("No bus, I sit car" or "May I have drink?" or "Rain, rain go away, rainy all day") and she is applying colloquial language such as "Bless you," and "Calm down." She is letting us know when she thinks something is loud, cute, pretty, funny, and so on. Her expressive vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. She basically only needs us to tell her a new word once and she retains and uses it appropriately. The problem continues to be stringing syllables together into sentences. Emilia likes to sing and is increasingly able to put the words with the melodies.
In preparation for the IEP meeting, we asked Emilia's Prompt therapist to do some testing for language. She found that when adjusted for her developmental age of 3.5 years old, Emilia's receptive language is completely normal and her expressive language is less than two standard deviations off the mean which we think is still pretty good, given the severity of her apraxia.
At this time, Emilia likes rap and hip hop music, surprise egg videos on youtube, dancing, swinging, and playing with her big sister.
Overall, this little treasure has been our squeakiest wheel here lately, but the joy and love she brings to our family outweigh any challenges that we are facing together.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Pictures Of The Day
"5:08"
This is what happens when two sisters play through nap time, then spend an hour outside, then come back in at 5:00 pm and sit down on the couch to catch their breath.
"Leftovers"
When I went to put our leftover roasted vegetables away, I found a doll torso among them. Very disturbing.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Bulgarian Easter 2015
Today is Easter Sunday in Bulgaria and other countries that follow the Orthodox calendar.
As every year, our local Bulgarian community put on a spectacular celebration. They have been getting increasingly organized, so there was even more on the schedule this time around, including a live performance of Bulgarian songs accompanied by a string trio. Emilia enjoyed this part of the program very much and clapped and cheered enthusiastically after each song.
We were so happy that our friends Katie and Andrew as well as Kim and Jason and their son Nikolas were able to join the festivities. It's always great to catch up with them.
Thanks for another fantastic Easter, BAC. We so appreciate your open hearts and welcoming spirit.
As every year, our local Bulgarian community put on a spectacular celebration. They have been getting increasingly organized, so there was even more on the schedule this time around, including a live performance of Bulgarian songs accompanied by a string trio. Emilia enjoyed this part of the program very much and clapped and cheered enthusiastically after each song.
We were so happy that our friends Katie and Andrew as well as Kim and Jason and their son Nikolas were able to join the festivities. It's always great to catch up with them.
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| Emilia and her former orphanage mate Nikolas about to come down the slide |
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| Look closely, Emilia is dancing the Horo |
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| Ella and Katie got in on the fun, too |
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| Nice job, Kim, you snapped a good one |
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| Our beautiful Bulgarian girl who connects us to this wonderful culture |
Thanks for another fantastic Easter, BAC. We so appreciate your open hearts and welcoming spirit.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Nappies For Nork Success
The Nappies for Nork fundraiser has closed and was a giant success. In just two weeks, we raised $11,000 to provide diapers for the children at Rex's former orphanage. From giving three dollars to keep a child dry for a single day to four figure donations, so many opened their hearts to make a difference, one clean bottom at a time.
To everyone who contributed (whether cash toward diapers or items for the raffle) and spread the word, I thank you with all of my heart. When I sat at this desk three weeks ago looking for a way to help, I hoped to raise $1000 to cover the most pressing demand for a time. Now, around 38,000 diapers will be available for these precious children as needed.
What do 38,000 diapers look like? Well, a new, folded Pampers is about a half an inch thick, so 38,000 of them stack to approximately 1500 feet which is how far you'd have to walk to get from Yerevan's Cascade Complex to the Opera House.
I will share with you the details about the diaper delivery as I receive them. Given how much money was raised, SOAR will be able to buy diapers on a monthly basis for quite a while. SOAR's Executive Director in Yerevan has spoken with the Nork orphanage director and learned that approximately three additional packs of diapers are needed per day to change each child two to three times in a 24 hour period. The cost to provide these extra diapers per six weeks is approximately $2000, so our fundraiser will be able to cover this need for at least seven months.
Since such an incredible amount of money was raised, we also plan to share around 10% of it with Mari Izmirlyan Orphanage, an older child orphanage, in Yerevan. Some of the children we met who lived at Nork with Rex and in Gyumri with Ella have since moved to Mari Izmirlyan, so now my love stretches to this orphanage as well. Mari Izmirlyan serves many children with medical and developmental special needs, some of whom continue to require diapers well past their sixth birthdays.
Again, thanks to everyone who stepped up to join me in this endeavor and blew my wildest dreams for it out of the water.
*Raffle winners have been drawn and will be notified privately.
To everyone who contributed (whether cash toward diapers or items for the raffle) and spread the word, I thank you with all of my heart. When I sat at this desk three weeks ago looking for a way to help, I hoped to raise $1000 to cover the most pressing demand for a time. Now, around 38,000 diapers will be available for these precious children as needed.
What do 38,000 diapers look like? Well, a new, folded Pampers is about a half an inch thick, so 38,000 of them stack to approximately 1500 feet which is how far you'd have to walk to get from Yerevan's Cascade Complex to the Opera House.
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| View from the Cascade to the Opera House |
I will share with you the details about the diaper delivery as I receive them. Given how much money was raised, SOAR will be able to buy diapers on a monthly basis for quite a while. SOAR's Executive Director in Yerevan has spoken with the Nork orphanage director and learned that approximately three additional packs of diapers are needed per day to change each child two to three times in a 24 hour period. The cost to provide these extra diapers per six weeks is approximately $2000, so our fundraiser will be able to cover this need for at least seven months.
Since such an incredible amount of money was raised, we also plan to share around 10% of it with Mari Izmirlyan Orphanage, an older child orphanage, in Yerevan. Some of the children we met who lived at Nork with Rex and in Gyumri with Ella have since moved to Mari Izmirlyan, so now my love stretches to this orphanage as well. Mari Izmirlyan serves many children with medical and developmental special needs, some of whom continue to require diapers well past their sixth birthdays.
Again, thanks to everyone who stepped up to join me in this endeavor and blew my wildest dreams for it out of the water.
*Raffle winners have been drawn and will be notified privately.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Ella Five Months Home
Ella has now been home for just over five months and is doing great. She's an active, intelligent, funny, determined and strong little girl who is soaking in every new experience and opportunity. She is full of questions and answers and deep thoughts. I am no longer surprised when she asks things like, "Who made my body?" or "When will you die?"
Even though it's still a daily issue, we have seen a decrease in Ella's hyper-vigilance. She is inquiring a bit less now about where people are and what they are doing. We always make sure that we give her a heads up on how a particular day will unfold, especially if we have something unusual on the agenda, which has reduced her questions about who, what, when and where. She's also changed the way in which she thinks about these matters. For example, when Craig would be running late, she used to ask, "Is daddy not coming home today?" Now, instead, she makes a statement like this in an exasperated tone, "Daddy is very late today." Her new preferred question is, "What do you wanna do?" which is basically asking, "What's next? I'm game." It's been tremendously helpful that Ella now has a better understanding of the rhythm of our life. For example, she knows that we have big salads for dinner on Mondays, that we go grocery shopping on Thursdays, that she has swim lessons on Saturdays, and that there's no school on Sundays.
Due to reaching this new level of feeling safe and comfortable, Ella is making a fresh go at testing boundaries. We have had to hold the reins a little tighter in recent weeks and crack down a bit harder on issues of obedience. Ella has lost some privileges and endured a lot of discussions about using nice words and thinking before speaking about how someone might feel in response to our words. Apparently Ella has inherited her birth father's candid personality and pretty much spits out whatever comes to mind. After having to write a note of apology and giving up some of her personal, already minuscule, candy stash to make amends, Ella now knows that it's not okay to tell her bus driver, "I don't like your hair. It's ugly."
As I wrote before, Ella is doing quite well in kindergarten and does not qualify for an IEP. Her 504 is being written and should be ready soon. I tested Ella back in mid-February and she was able to write 20 lower case and 19 upper case letters from memory. I am sure that list has expanded since. She can write about ten words or so on her own and basically everything else when we spell it out for her. She also knows how to write numbers. We're working nearly every day on reading and basic math. I am trying to get Ella accepted into summer school which runs for four weeks in July for four hours per day with a focus on reading and math. I think this would give her a great boost for first grade.
Ella continues to sleep well and to eat without issue. She isn't a huge carb eater at the moment, but prefers protein and fresh fruit/veggies. Ella recently came around to liking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and string cheese. Icecream and pizza are still on top of her list for special treats. She's a stylish girl who would wear a dress or skirt every day of the year if she could. When I put her clothes out for the next day just before bed and my selections are to her liking, she usually exclaims, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm gonna be so amazing cute." Ella's eagerly looking forward to her first professional haircut in the next month or so.
Ella's favorite weekly event at the moment is her swim class on Saturday mornings. After just five lessons, she has graduated from Water Adjustment to Basics of Swimming and earned three skill badges. Ella really likes her coach and has a great time in the pool. She also enjoyed her first play dates at the homes of two different friends. She loves to dance and does her own cool versions of yoga and stretching.
Except when meeting new people in unfamiliar situations, Ella is a social butterfly. She gets excited about parties, gatherings with family and friends, dressing up, special meals, family outings, etc. Her teacher has told me that her unadulterated enthusiasm in the classroom has brought a breath of fresh air to the class as a whole and that the other children are drawn to her bright spirit.
We're very proud of and continually amazed by our eldest child who's a force to be reckoned with.
Even though it's still a daily issue, we have seen a decrease in Ella's hyper-vigilance. She is inquiring a bit less now about where people are and what they are doing. We always make sure that we give her a heads up on how a particular day will unfold, especially if we have something unusual on the agenda, which has reduced her questions about who, what, when and where. She's also changed the way in which she thinks about these matters. For example, when Craig would be running late, she used to ask, "Is daddy not coming home today?" Now, instead, she makes a statement like this in an exasperated tone, "Daddy is very late today." Her new preferred question is, "What do you wanna do?" which is basically asking, "What's next? I'm game." It's been tremendously helpful that Ella now has a better understanding of the rhythm of our life. For example, she knows that we have big salads for dinner on Mondays, that we go grocery shopping on Thursdays, that she has swim lessons on Saturdays, and that there's no school on Sundays.
Due to reaching this new level of feeling safe and comfortable, Ella is making a fresh go at testing boundaries. We have had to hold the reins a little tighter in recent weeks and crack down a bit harder on issues of obedience. Ella has lost some privileges and endured a lot of discussions about using nice words and thinking before speaking about how someone might feel in response to our words. Apparently Ella has inherited her birth father's candid personality and pretty much spits out whatever comes to mind. After having to write a note of apology and giving up some of her personal, already minuscule, candy stash to make amends, Ella now knows that it's not okay to tell her bus driver, "I don't like your hair. It's ugly."
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| Being silly |
As I wrote before, Ella is doing quite well in kindergarten and does not qualify for an IEP. Her 504 is being written and should be ready soon. I tested Ella back in mid-February and she was able to write 20 lower case and 19 upper case letters from memory. I am sure that list has expanded since. She can write about ten words or so on her own and basically everything else when we spell it out for her. She also knows how to write numbers. We're working nearly every day on reading and basic math. I am trying to get Ella accepted into summer school which runs for four weeks in July for four hours per day with a focus on reading and math. I think this would give her a great boost for first grade.
Ella continues to sleep well and to eat without issue. She isn't a huge carb eater at the moment, but prefers protein and fresh fruit/veggies. Ella recently came around to liking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and string cheese. Icecream and pizza are still on top of her list for special treats. She's a stylish girl who would wear a dress or skirt every day of the year if she could. When I put her clothes out for the next day just before bed and my selections are to her liking, she usually exclaims, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I'm gonna be so amazing cute." Ella's eagerly looking forward to her first professional haircut in the next month or so.
Ella's favorite weekly event at the moment is her swim class on Saturday mornings. After just five lessons, she has graduated from Water Adjustment to Basics of Swimming and earned three skill badges. Ella really likes her coach and has a great time in the pool. She also enjoyed her first play dates at the homes of two different friends. She loves to dance and does her own cool versions of yoga and stretching.
Except when meeting new people in unfamiliar situations, Ella is a social butterfly. She gets excited about parties, gatherings with family and friends, dressing up, special meals, family outings, etc. Her teacher has told me that her unadulterated enthusiasm in the classroom has brought a breath of fresh air to the class as a whole and that the other children are drawn to her bright spirit.
We're very proud of and continually amazed by our eldest child who's a force to be reckoned with.
Monday, April 6, 2015
IAC 310 Results
The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 310 which was held on February 26, 2015:
1) US dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status
2) Italian dossier from July 2011 referred a male child aged 4 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history
3) Dutch dossier from July 2011 referred twins, male, aged 1 year with features in health status
4) French dossier from August 2011 referred a male child aged 4 years and 11 months with features in health status
5) Italian dossier from June 2013 referred a female child aged 8 years and 7 months with features in health status
6) Italian dossier from November 2013 referred a female child aged 9 years with features in health status
7) Italian dossier from August 2014 referred sisters aged 7 years and 5 months & 8 years and 6 months with a family history
8) US dossier from September 2014 referred a female child aged 2 years and 4 months with features in health status and a family history
9) Italian dossier from September 2014 referred a male child aged 9 years and 6 months with features in health status
10) US dossier from November 2014 referred a waiting child (#2529) with a profile on the MOJ site
11) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2655) with a profile on the MOJ site
1) US dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 1 year and 6 months with features in health status
2) Italian dossier from July 2011 referred a male child aged 4 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history
3) Dutch dossier from July 2011 referred twins, male, aged 1 year with features in health status
4) French dossier from August 2011 referred a male child aged 4 years and 11 months with features in health status
5) Italian dossier from June 2013 referred a female child aged 8 years and 7 months with features in health status
6) Italian dossier from November 2013 referred a female child aged 9 years with features in health status
7) Italian dossier from August 2014 referred sisters aged 7 years and 5 months & 8 years and 6 months with a family history
8) US dossier from September 2014 referred a female child aged 2 years and 4 months with features in health status and a family history
9) Italian dossier from September 2014 referred a male child aged 9 years and 6 months with features in health status
10) US dossier from November 2014 referred a waiting child (#2529) with a profile on the MOJ site
11) US dossier from February 2015 referred a waiting child (#2655) with a profile on the MOJ site
Spring Break 2015
This was our first year as a family where spring break actually played a role in our lives. The girls were off school last week and Craig took a few vacation days while Rex's program was open, so he continued to go and receive his therapies. Here's our first ever spring break replay.
Saturday, March 28
Ella had swim class in the morning and then we ran a few errands. After lunch and naps, Rex headed to cranio-sacral therapy and Ella helped me get ready for our dinner guests. We had a great time with our friends, Katie and Andrew, and enjoyed sausages, cole slaw, homemade bread, fruit salad, and french fries as well as the world's ugliest rainbow cake.
Sunday, March 29
After the obligatory trip to the home improvement store in the morning, we spent the rest of the day at home. Craig worked on putting up the kids' play set and I tackled the Mt. Everest of laundry. Rex decided to learn a new word:
Monday, March 30
We had a long awaited morning visit with our dear Ms. Rie and her kids.
Meanwhile, our drywall was finally getting repaired. Craig also did some more work on the play set and finished part 1. In the afternoon, we took the girls to get new shoes for summer and spring. This was so special for Ella as it was the first time she got to have input on her own brand-new footwear.
Tuesday, March 31
We headed to our old house to pack up some more stuff and have the carpets cleaned. Now we're ready to list. In the afternoon, we made a stop at one of my favorite clearance stores and I got several new pieces of clothing for spring and summer. I paid $64 for 12 items. Only three of these items still had their original price tags on them, adding up to $110. I think I got a steal not even knowing what the other nine would have cost at retail.
Wednesday, April 1
We had planned to surprise the girls with a visit to the zoo, but Ella woke up having vomited in the night (she did not notify us because she "didn't want to wake up Emilia"). We thought she was feeling better until she vomited again mid-morning while playing in the yard. She was also running a fever, so we nixed the zoo plans. I made a quick shopping trip with our cousin Maria and then we focused on some projects at home, like touching up, sanding and painting the drywall repairs that were made on Monday. I love spackle and spackling, so this was right up my alley. In late afternoon, Ella and I colored some eggs.
Also, happy birthday, Opa. I still miss you all the time and am so thankful for everything you poured into my heart and mind.
Thursday, April 2
The therapists at Rex's old school had been asking us to bring him in for a visit. I didn't realize it had been two months since he transferred. So, we made a stop to see everyone in the morning, then took Rex to his current school.
Just before lunch, we had our second and final post-placement visit with the social worker for Ella's adoption. In the afternoon, it was business as usual with therapies, except that I took the time to sit in on the sessions rather than run errands.
Friday April 3
We met up with friends, a fellow adoptive family, and had some fun at Pogoplay. After lunch and naps, we knocked out our grocery shopping while Rex had therapy. We also colored eggs the Armenian way with red onion skins. No designs this year though due to time constraints.
Saturday, April 4
The day started with Ella's swim lesson followed by Rex's cranio-sacral therapy. We spent the afternoon working around the house, anything from laundry to putting up the swing set to painting our picnic table lemonade yellow. I told you we were going to have more fun at this house.
Oh, and a sweet new neighbor brought over cute Easter buckeye candies, one for each child.
Sunday, April 5
We were thankful for such a sunny and mild Easter Day. We spent lots of time outdoors, playing and working. Our spring break goal to get both the play set and swing set installed was completed. We bought this stuff for $100 off Craig's List, put in a couple more hundred bucks and some major elbow grease, and voila.
We enjoyed two special Easter meals. For lunch, we had gata homemade according to the family recipe Ella's birth mother shared with me, fresh fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. The gata was every bit as delicious as what we ate in Garni.
For dinner we had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and carrots.
And now it's Monday morning and I have three hours to bring some order to the post-Spring break chaotic state of this house. Maybe I'll post about that later.
Saturday, March 28
Ella had swim class in the morning and then we ran a few errands. After lunch and naps, Rex headed to cranio-sacral therapy and Ella helped me get ready for our dinner guests. We had a great time with our friends, Katie and Andrew, and enjoyed sausages, cole slaw, homemade bread, fruit salad, and french fries as well as the world's ugliest rainbow cake.
 |
| Ella set the table |
After the obligatory trip to the home improvement store in the morning, we spent the rest of the day at home. Craig worked on putting up the kids' play set and I tackled the Mt. Everest of laundry. Rex decided to learn a new word:
Monday, March 30
We had a long awaited morning visit with our dear Ms. Rie and her kids.
 |
| Emilia was too busy to stop for this sweet picture |
Meanwhile, our drywall was finally getting repaired. Craig also did some more work on the play set and finished part 1. In the afternoon, we took the girls to get new shoes for summer and spring. This was so special for Ella as it was the first time she got to have input on her own brand-new footwear.
Tuesday, March 31
We headed to our old house to pack up some more stuff and have the carpets cleaned. Now we're ready to list. In the afternoon, we made a stop at one of my favorite clearance stores and I got several new pieces of clothing for spring and summer. I paid $64 for 12 items. Only three of these items still had their original price tags on them, adding up to $110. I think I got a steal not even knowing what the other nine would have cost at retail.
Wednesday, April 1
We had planned to surprise the girls with a visit to the zoo, but Ella woke up having vomited in the night (she did not notify us because she "didn't want to wake up Emilia"). We thought she was feeling better until she vomited again mid-morning while playing in the yard. She was also running a fever, so we nixed the zoo plans. I made a quick shopping trip with our cousin Maria and then we focused on some projects at home, like touching up, sanding and painting the drywall repairs that were made on Monday. I love spackle and spackling, so this was right up my alley. In late afternoon, Ella and I colored some eggs.
 |
| "I never did this in Armenia before." |
The eggs briefly graced our mantle before Ella started to dig in. She loves hard-boiled eggs.
Also, happy birthday, Opa. I still miss you all the time and am so thankful for everything you poured into my heart and mind.
Thursday, April 2
The therapists at Rex's old school had been asking us to bring him in for a visit. I didn't realize it had been two months since he transferred. So, we made a stop to see everyone in the morning, then took Rex to his current school.
 |
| Rex and Miss Claire, possibly his all-time favorite therapist |
Just before lunch, we had our second and final post-placement visit with the social worker for Ella's adoption. In the afternoon, it was business as usual with therapies, except that I took the time to sit in on the sessions rather than run errands.
Friday April 3
We met up with friends, a fellow adoptive family, and had some fun at Pogoplay. After lunch and naps, we knocked out our grocery shopping while Rex had therapy. We also colored eggs the Armenian way with red onion skins. No designs this year though due to time constraints.
Saturday, April 4
The day started with Ella's swim lesson followed by Rex's cranio-sacral therapy. We spent the afternoon working around the house, anything from laundry to putting up the swing set to painting our picnic table lemonade yellow. I told you we were going to have more fun at this house.
Oh, and a sweet new neighbor brought over cute Easter buckeye candies, one for each child.
Sunday, April 5
We were thankful for such a sunny and mild Easter Day. We spent lots of time outdoors, playing and working. Our spring break goal to get both the play set and swing set installed was completed. We bought this stuff for $100 off Craig's List, put in a couple more hundred bucks and some major elbow grease, and voila.
We enjoyed two special Easter meals. For lunch, we had gata homemade according to the family recipe Ella's birth mother shared with me, fresh fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. The gata was every bit as delicious as what we ate in Garni.
 |
| Armenian letter "A" for Anjella |
For dinner we had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and carrots.
.JPG) |
| Walked to the park and played for a bit |
And now it's Monday morning and I have three hours to bring some order to the post-Spring break chaotic state of this house. Maybe I'll post about that later.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Friday, April 3, 2015
Martini March Madness
Play dates: 3
OT appointments: 12
Speech therapy appointments: 8
Baby showers: 2
Birthday parties: 1
Swim lessons: 4
Cranio-sacral therapy appointments: 3
Medical appointments: 2
IEP meetings: 1
County DDS meetings: 1
Handyman appointments: 2
Hosted dinners: 1
Whew!
OT appointments: 12
Speech therapy appointments: 8
Baby showers: 2
Birthday parties: 1
Swim lessons: 4
Cranio-sacral therapy appointments: 3
Medical appointments: 2
IEP meetings: 1
County DDS meetings: 1
Handyman appointments: 2
Hosted dinners: 1
Whew!
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